We’re counting down the days to the big Seahawks-49ers game Sunday at CenturyLink Field. Among the storylines I’m tracking this week is the fans attempt to set a world record for loudest crowd. I will tell you from personal experience on the sidelines that the 12th Man is by far the loudest crowd I’ve experienced. I’ve been to many stadiums that try to ‘enhance’ the crowd using extra speakers, music or effects but not in Seattle. That crowd is rockin’!

This week, in addition to my usual equipment on the sideline, I’ll be carrying one of these to measure the crowd noise. Of course that won’t be an official measurement, but I’ll have a good idea of how the crowd is performing.

Business Application:

The world record attempt is a great storyline for business because it offers a different conversation topic from the game itself. Your coworkers don’t need to know anything about football to participate in the conversation because they could chime in with the loudest environment they’ve ever experienced, like a concert they attended or a band they used to play in. Those conversations are valuable in building rapport and encouraging teamwork at work.

Here’s another way to have fun with this storyline at work. If you know you’ve got Seahawks fans in the office and at least some of them are planning to attend the game, plan a welcome Monday morning that acknowledges how loud the crowd was. Maybe it’s a fun announcement over a speaker just to make sure they can hear you, since their ears are sure to be ringing for days after that one.

Carry it forward… put earplugs on everyone’s desk prior to the next Seahawks game at Centurylink (Sunday Sept 21 against Jacksonville) as a fun way to get everyone excited about the Seahawks and the noise the crowd brings.

It might seem silly, but Seattle is crazy for the Seahawks right now and leveraging their popularity can help you build stronger relationships that lead to business opportunities.

Go Hawks!

Jen Mueller is the radio sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks, as well as, a reporter for ROOT Sports NW out of Seattle. She is also a professional speaker and the author of Game Time: Learn to Talk Sports in 5 Minutes a Day, the go-to resource for new and novice sports fans. The book is available on Amazon.